Johannesburg, 12 Feb 2008
With all the technological advancements that have been made regarding mobility and the availability of infrastructure to enable this, a mobile workforce is not only possible, but business-critical, states Adele Oosthuizen, category lead: HP PSG Platform at Axiz. She believes more companies should be empowering their employees with mobile solutions and thereby enhancing their productivity.
While security remains a core concern, Oosthuizen says it is one leading vendors like HP have made a priority when developing both hardware and software.
"The ideal notebook for a mobile employee is completely secure, reliable and easy to use. Of the three of these, security is no doubt the biggest priority for any company wanting to create a mobile workforce. Crucial data and network connections must remain secure no matter where an employee works. They must continue to remain secure even if the notebook is subsequently lost or stolen."
When it comes to making and keeping notebooks secure, research and development (R&D) is proving to differentiate certain infrastructure and software developers from the rest.
Oosthuizen explains that before investing in business notebooks for employees, managers need to do a little research of their own, making sure certain "minimum" requirements have been met in terms of security. "Security is about much more than just entering a password when you log in. Any notebook you invest in must include full drive encryption, data protection, password management, a mechanism that prevents the unauthorised copying of data, as well as a disc sanitiser."
Drive encryption, for example, encodes every bit of information on the hard drive volume so that it becomes unreadable to an unauthorised person. This means that sensitive information cannot be accessed if the notebook or hard drive is lost or stolen. It thus creates "hands-off" secure encryption for valuable data.
As for passwords - gone are the days when users could rest assured that entering "1234" would protect their computers. "Passwords are no longer enough to guarantee the identity of the person using the computer. To be able to validate the user's identity properly, the notebook must either come with an integrated smart card reader or a biometric fingerprint sensor, where the user's fingerprint, as opposed to password, allows them to log in."
Oosthuizen adds that these security features shouldn't be sold to you as "add-ons".
"Security isn't a nice-to-have, but rather a priority when creating a mobile workforce. Instead of paying extra to access certain of the abovementioned features, choose a brand that has incorporated them as standard. Also, remember that many of the more advanced security features come with top-of-the-range models - often well worth the peace of mind that comes with paying a little extra."
With the second quarter of 2007 showing a robust demand for notebooks throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the consumer and SME segments in particular, according to the latest IDC results, growth of the mobile workforce shows no sign of slowing down.
Oosthuizen says that locally, HP is making significant inroads in this regard: "HP's year-on-year growth in the South African market is formidable - experiencing double digit growth over the past year. I believe that much of its success can be attributed to its 'professional innovations' - a suite of hardware and software features incorporated into each of its business notebooks. This focuses on security, reliability, and ease of use; enabling the individual user to fine-tune their notebook. By making security a priority, HP is tapping into this key market need that is currently driving demand."
With so many innovations and developments in mobile security, business leaders would seem in a position to take full advantage of these, and rather turn their attention to developing a corporate culture that supports these. In this way, they will be able to equip the right employees with the right equipment, and impact on overall productivity in a very positive way.
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